Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame: Episode 2
by TommyOliverMMPRFan
Summary: T5RYCB is back with its second installment. In this episode, we take a look at why you can't blame Rita for using the Green Ranger powers so early in her conquest
1. 1: Best of the Rest

A/N: This is the second episode in my Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Ranger Series. As with the first episode, neither the show nor Power Rangers belong to me. Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN. This episode explains why you can't blame Rita for using the Green Power Coin so early in her attempts to conquer Earth. Enjoy, and pass some popcorn to your neighbor if you care to!

T5RYCB Ranger Series: Episode 2-Evidence against Rita and Best of Rest

(Show comes on the air and music starts playing)

"Excellent! Time to call on…Green Ranger!" shouts Rita Repulsa during the Eclipsing Megazord fight

"_Coming up on the Top 5 Reasons you Can't Blame…"_ drones Brian Kenny's voice.

"Rita at that point was grasping for any kind of straw that she could find against us," says Jason Scott. "She couldn't handle us the first few weeks we faced her forces, and then she literally went for broke."

"A master plan, huh?" says Angel Grove High principal Mr. Caplan. "If, by master plan, you mean a desperate attempt to destroy the best team Angel Grove has ever seen, then yes."

"When she lost that battle," says Kimberly Hart, "she pretty much sealed her doom right there. She threw everything she had at us, and she still didn't win."

(Montage of Ranger moments starts playing, as does the show's theme, and the logo appears, followed by Brian Kenny himself)

"_Hello again everyone, I'm Brian Kenny, and welcome to the second edition of the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame-Ranger Series…a series that takes a fresh look at Power Ranger topics and controversies which have been largely popular since the show started in 1993. Our mission is not to vilify the subjects of these controversies, simply to take a look at the positive side of what they did. You will hear evidence and testimony from any and all characters. All you need is an open mind. In this show we will take a look at a decision made by United Alliance of Evil member Rita Repulsa that is largely questioned in Angel Grove City, and even amongst the Power Rangers themselves…that decision being the usage of the Green Ranger Power Coin just a few scant weeks into her attempts to conquer Earth. We're going to count down the Top 5 Reasons you can't blame Rita for using the Green Power Coin at that point. But first, let's take a look at the charges against Master Vile's daughter."_

(Images of Rita Repulsa and her hench-mutants appear)

"My mistress Rita," says Scorpina, "was not patient at all. She took after Master Vile quite a bit. She tended to grab an idea and run with it. But even this decision…was very reckless, risky and still questionable in my mind."

"_Just a few scant weeks after Rita started her attempts to conquer Earth, she found herself in a losing battle. The Power Rangers had turned back every attack against them, surviving such powerful creations as King Sphinx, Madame Woe, and even turning back Rita's top henchman Goldar on a couple of occasions."_

"Every battle, those Rangers seemed to get better," said Squatt, "and Rita was losing it by the time we got three or four weeks into the conquest."

"_Rita was so frustrated with her attempts to conquer Earth, that one fateful week, she decided to take a major risk…by summoning the mighty powers of the Green Dragon Power Coin."_

"To this day, I don't know why she took such a big risk," said Zack Taylor. "She did it only a few scant weeks into her attempts to conquer Earth, so she couldn't have done too much research into what these powers could do."

"She had other great weapons of mass destruction, such as Goldar's Zord Cyclopsis, which she could have used before she activated the Green Coin," said Trini Kwan. "She could probably have simply called Scorpina and had an advantage against us."

"I knew the risks involved," said Rita. "If I activated the Green Dragon coin, and lost, then whoever had the Power at that point could ally herself…or in this case, himself…with Zordon. And look at where that power holder is now."

"_That power holder is the Power Ranger typically designated as the Greatest Ranger ever, and was the lean, fast, disciplined teenager Thomas Oliver, a new transplant to Angel Grove. One day after watching him tie a karate match against the Power Rangers top field general, Jason Scott, Rita immediately selected him to be the holder of the Green Ranger powers, and put Tommy on a tight leash."_

"She gave me specific orders for everything she wanted me to do," said Tommy. "Even someone who hadn't been a Power Ranger or had an IQ of 20 could see she was going for everything in this battle."

"I was ordered strictly to go to the Command Center, disable Zordon and Alpha, and get out right after she took me in. I also couldn't reveal myself to the other Rangers. She told me that this was her master plan and that I was not to mess it up," continued Tommy.

"_After a week-long battle in which the Power Rangers were on the brink of defeat several times, Rita did indeed lose the battle, and thus lost Tommy to Zordon's side for good."_

"That was probably her most calculated plan yet," said Jason Scott. "Tommy told me later that when he went under Rita's spell he was the one that warped me to Rita's Dark Dimension to face Goldar…using his Power Coin when my back was turned. She used one of Zordon's rules and kept us from knowing about Tommy."

"That was the only time she ever used a magic spell to short out the Megazord's power," said Billy Cranston. "I think that pretty much says it all."

"To this day, I still don't know why she did it," said Goldar. "Possibly hindsight is 20/20, as humans might say, but everyone saw how well Scorpina and I handled the Megazord…and both of us could easily take on all five Rangers at once."

"Tommy was and is a great warrior…probably just as good as I am if not more," said Scorpina, "but I think Rita could have gone about her plans another way."

(Tape finishes playing as evidence against Rita ends)

"_Now you have seen the evidence and heard all the criticisms against the evil space witch for recklessly using the Green Power Coin so early in her conquest attempts. But before we count down the top 5 reasons you can't blame her, here are some reasons that didn't make the cut. We call them the Best of the Rest."_

"_Divide and Conquer,"_ said Brian Kenny.

"That was the entire basis of my plan…split them apart one-by-one and see how they functioned outside their team environment," said Rita. "I'd seen what they could do as one team, and I wanted to see what would happen if the Green Ranger split them up."

"_And Tommy did just that. Beginning with Zordon, and subsequently the Command Center, Tommy began severing the Ranger links one by one, and came within a hair's breadth of destroying leader Jason Scott for good."_

"When Rita had me under her control, Rita emphasized divide and conquer. When I sent Jason to the Dark Dimension, I said 'one down, four more to go.' That was Rita's master plan…split the Rangers up and sever their links, and see how they functioned."

"In hindsight, what I should have done after the Megazord eclipse was go after them one-by-one again," said Rita. "I let them stay as a team, and it helped cost me the battle."

"_Another Best of the Rest: Cupcake City. While the Rangers had to adjust to their newfound powers, Rita's early attacks were not significantly dangerous for the Power Rangers."_

"As far as I know, she did not give us one monster in the first few weeks we fought her that Zordon didn't know how to adjust to," said Kimberly. "Tommy struck so hard and fast that we didn't have time to adjust. We just had to fight on the fly."

"Everything went right for us in the first two weeks," said Jason. "Rita's monsters were average, but they were little more than space dust once Zordon knew how to beat them. It was almost like it was too easy for us. Even Trini said almost to Rita's army at large after defeating Pudgy Pig, 'You'll have to do better than that if you want to beat us.'"

(Music plays as tape ends)

"_Coming up next, we'll begin our countdown, and we'll explain why a simple eclipse was nearly enough to destroy the Rangers for good."_

"We're losing power fast…we're down to 50 percent!" yells Jason from the Megazord cockpit.

(Music plays as segment ends)

TBC…


	2. 2: Eclipse and a Warrior Shortage

A/N: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN

T5RYCB 2:2 (Eclipse and a Warrior Shortage)

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_Welcome back,"_ said Brian Kenny. _"You've seen the evidence against Master Vile's daughter, and some reasons that didn't make our list. That said, let's begin our countdown. Here is Reason #5."_

(Image of Goldar standing alone appears)

"_Warrior Shortage,"_ Kenny said.

"In those times," Goldar said, "I was pretty much on my own, and it was quickly evident that while, at times, I could handle the Rangers whole team, it was not that way in the long run."

"_Indeed, the need for another battle general was quickly becoming obvious for Rita. While Goldar was Rita's lead general and one of the most feared villains in the entire galaxy, Rita's other henchmen, Squatt and Baboo, were barely average at planning for battles, and Rita had decided not to call Scorpina forth yet,"_ said Brian Kenny.

"With only Goldar and with me having two incompetents for battle generals, the need become obvious that I'd need to use the Green Coin very soon."

"_Indeed, the tide began to turn for Rita after she hired Tommy. Tommy easily took on all five Rangers at once…even before he received the powerful Sword of Darkness to help him in battle."_

"He was a boon to all of us while he was evil," said Scorpina. "Traitor or not, there is no doubt he was a great warrior, and he gave us a better chance depth wise."

"Not only did they have to worry about me," said Goldar, "but they had to worry about the Green Ranger as well, and he'd strike so hard and so fast…it was like shock and awe."

"He gave us depth…and a chance," said Rita.

(Green Ranger, Goldar and Scorpina are all shown surrounding Megazord as the tape ends)

"_Did that reason grab you?"_ said Brian Kenny. _"If not, we have four more to go. Here is Reason #4."_

(An eclipsed sun then appears on screen as tape rolls)

"_The Eclipse,"_ said Brian Kenny.

"That was one of the only times," said Scorpina, laughing as she said this, "when one of our combined attacks actually worked. And it was with a damn eclipse…who would have thought?"

"_Shortly after Jason barely escaped with his life from the Dark Dkmension, the Rangers faced Scorpina for the first time in battle. But as she did many other times during this long fight, Rita called her troops back, preparing for a bigger attack."_

"Zack always said during those trying times when we were being constantly harassed by attacks that it was almost like Rita was pulling her troops back, planning for a bigger attack," said Jason. "Little did we know how right he was."

"_That attack, which gave Rita the upper hand in the fight for Earth and nearly shattered the Rangers' psyche, started with Goldar ravaging downtown Angel Grove, and capturing Bulk and Skull in a bus while they were trying to escape town."_

"When Bulk and Skull were captured in that bus," said Zack, "it was a blow to all of us. This time, she was going to do anything to destroy us…even hurt our best friends."

"_The Rangers were drawn to Angel Grove Beach with the bus, where they were then left with no choice but to call forth the Dinozords, and form the Megazord to save Bulk and Skull."_

"We knew that Rita was trying to set some kind of trap," said Jason, "but we could NEVER have guessed it was going to be the Megazord she was setting things up for."

"_Immediately after the Megazord was able to save the two resident bullies, it was ambushed by Goldar and later Scorpina, and had to deal with a solar power shortage."_

"It turned out Rita had set up a surprise for us…an eclipse," said Billy. "You see, the Megazord ran on solar power, and an eclipse would essentially cut off the power supply."

"_The Megazord fought bravely, even calling on the Power Sword to even up the score with Rita's two lead henchmen. But when the Green Ranger arrived, the tide turned."_

("We're in big trouble. We don't have enough power left to finish this fight!" Jason says on the screen)

"When Tommy arrived," said Jason, "I knew we were in trouble. We had to deal with Green Ranger, Goldar and Scorpina, and an eclipse which was shorting out our power supply."

"_Sure enough, the Megazord eventually fell to Rita's eclipse attack, as the Zords were taken from the Rangers."_

"When we lost that fight," said Zack, "I was ready to throw my hands in the air and say 'I surrender.' I didn't think we had a chance to come all the way back and win this battle. We had no Zordon, we had no Zords...that fight was excruciating."

"It was one of the few fights," said Tommy, "that the forces of evil worked together in perfect harmony. Goldar started it…and I, unfortunately, finished it."

(Tape finishes playing as eclipsed sun once again appears)

"_Coming up, we'll continue our countdown, and we'll look at the role the Rangers' mentor played in Rita's plans."_

"Rita knew her only chance…was to destroy Zordon's link to this world for good," said Scorpina, "and that's partly why she hired Tommy."

(Music plays as segment ends)

TBC…


	3. 3: Zordon and a Championship Matchup

A/N: You know the drill. Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB and Brian Kenny belong to ESPN

Ch. 3-Reasons 3 and 2: The Championship Matchup and Zordon of Eltar

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_We're counting down the top 5 reasons you can't blame Rita Repulsa for using the the Green Power Coin so early in her conquest,"_ said Brian Kenny

"_Welcome back," _said Brian Kenny. _"You've seen reasons 4 and 5, and now, let's continue our countdown with Reason #3."_

(The tape begins as Jason and Tommy are seen fighting in Ranger form)

"_The Championship Matchup,"_ said Brian Kenny.

"When we first faced off," said Tommy, "Jase was considered 'Angel Grove's Finest.' No one had been able to match him in martial arts…until I came along. We tied in that first match. Little did we know…we'd face each other again with the stakes at their highest."

"They were…about as evenly matched as you could get," said Trini Kwan. "Every time you thought Jason was going to maybe take command, Tommy would match him. And it turned out…we weren't the only ones watching."

"_Indeed, they weren't the only ones watching this championship matchup, and this wouldn't be the last time they faced each other. Rita Repulsa was also watching from her Moon Palace, and Tommy caught her eye in a major way."_

"No one else had been able to handle Jason…except…this guy. I felt that maybe what I needed was someone who could take on their leader...that's why I selected him in the first place," said Rita.

"_So, a day or two later, she selected Tommy to be her Evil Green Ranger after he had been ambushed by a group of Putty Patrollers in a back alleyway."_

"It was a wise choice," said Goldar, trusty sword on his lap. "There's no question he made a fine warror with all of the talent he had, and he almost did defeat them."

_"Unkowingly,"_ said Brian Kenny, _"the two faced off again in Rita's Dark Dimension after Tommy had warped Jason there. There, Jason faced the challenge of his life, as he was forced to face Tommy without powers."_

"He...he totally overpowered me, and nearly killed me," said Jason. "If Billy's even one split second later in his teleportation process, I'm a dead duck. It was one of the few times while a Ranger that I have ever been scared."

_"The two then faced each other in the mountains outside Angel Grove, with everything on the line,"_ said Brian Kenny.

"There were no differences between them," said Kimberly. "It took a lucky blast from Jason to decide the battle."

"Rita selected Tommy," said Scorpina, "in part because Tommy was Jason's equal. Rita told me later that no one else, not even Goldar, had been able to handle him."

"It was a wise choice," she continued, "because Tommy actually knew what he was doing. For what it's worth, I've never held anything against Tommy, which is why I never got in his little squibbles with Goldar."

(Picture of Tommy and Jason going at it is shown as tape ends)

_"So, three down and two to go,"_ said Brian Kenny. _"Here's Reason #2."_

(Tape begins as picture of Zordon is shows)

_"Zordon of Eltar,"_ droned Brian Kenny.

"I wanted to dis-connect Zordon," said Rita, "and see how those Rangers would handle it without him."

_"Indeed, Rita was found to be correct in her logic. In every single previous battle the Rangers had, they had been able to turn to the legendary inter-dimensional being for help."_

"Once she took away Zordon," said Kimberly, "she began to give us problems because we couldn't know what she was planning. We had to trust our own instincts. The eclipse battle...was a direct result of Zordon not being there to give us information about that coming battle."

"I could see," said Tommy, "when I was under Rita's control, that when they didn't have Zordon, they had some problems handling things. They were still a bit 'wet behind the ears' so to speak, in battle, and it was a wise decision to try and take out the one of the group who had more experience. In her opinion, that was Zordon."

_"With Zordon gone, the Rangers became 'ripe for the picking' so to speak, and Rita found it easy to lure them into battle," _said Brian Kenny.

"They were typical do-gooders," said Rita. "It was easy to lure them into the eclipse fight because they were more concerned about saving Angel Grove than they were about protecting their own hides."

"I DID MY RANGERS A GREAT DIS-SERVICE BEFORE THAT BATTLE EVEN BEGAN," said Zordon. "I SHOULD HAVE LET THEM KNOW ABOUT THE GREEN DRAGON POWER COIN, AND THAT RITA HAD THE COIN IN HER HANDS."

"I KNEW THAT RITA WAS GOING TO USE THE COIN, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHEN," said Zordon. "HAD I TOLD THEM EARLIER, MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HANDLE IT BETTER."

"I could see the Rangers were naive, as Zordon hadn't told them about the Coin," said Goldar. "Rita made the wise choice to select her Green Ranger when she did."

(Tape finishes playing as picture of Zordon is shown)

_"Coming up,"_ said Brian Kenny, _"you'll see the #1 reason why Rita Repulsa deserves no blame for using the Green Coin so early."_

"It was, quite possibly, the longest, hardest, most drawn-out fight in Ranger history," said Kimberly. "I've never been more scared as a Ranger, before or since, than on that week."

(Music plays as segment ends)


	4. 4: Rita's Near Victory

Ch. 4-Reason #1: Rita's Near Victory

A/N: Power Rangers belongs to Saban and Disney, and T5RYCB belongs to Brian Kenny and ESPN

(Show returns from commercial break)

"_We're counting down the Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame Rita Repulsa for using the Green Dragon Power Coin when she did,"_ said Brian Kenny. _"Before we get to our #1 reason, let's recap._

_"Reason #5-Warrior Shortage. Rita, besides Scorpina and Goldar, had little else to work with and needed more depth in her army._

_"Reason #4-The Eclipse.Rita's surprise eclipse attack, coupled with the help of the Green Ranger, was nearly enough to destroy the Megazord for good._

_Reason #3-The Championship Matchup. Rita believed, rightfully so, that Tommy's success against Jason could lead to good things for her too._

_Reason #2-Zordon of Eltar. Rita first wanted to get rid of Zordon for many reasons...the foremost of them being experience._

"_Welcome back,_"said Brian Kenny. "_We've given you reasons 5 through 2, and we are now at the moment of truth. Here is Reason #1."_

(Tape begins as montage of Rita's successes in that battle was shown)

_"Rita Nearly Won,_" said Brian Kenny.

"Jason told me after that final battle," said Tommy, who is holding Kimberly on camera, "that Kimberly and Zack were ready to give up the ghost after Rita eclipsed the Megazord. That, right there, should tell you how much success Rita had against the original five in that drawn-out fight."

_"For that whole entire week in which Tommy worked for Rita," _said Brian Kenny, _"Rita's forces outmatched, outwitted, and outfought the Power Rangers in nearly every major fight."_

"It was like this horrible nightmare where everything that could go wrong, did," said Trini Kwan. "First the Command Center gets attacked, and we lose Zordon. Then, we are drawn into battle, and this green guy attacks the Megazord. Then we lose Jason before getting him back, and then we have to deal with Scorpina. It just went on and on. I'm normally a calm person, but...I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't scared."

"We got the drop on them because we were able to 'catch them napping' so to speak...and take them by surprise," said Rita, "and then we were able to quickly and continually escalate things so they wouldn't have time to recover."

"_Indeed, ask any of the original five Rangers, and any of them would tell you that it was the closest they ever came to defeat,_" said Brian Kenny.

"Most of the other times we were in danger, there was this calm that settled over me because I knew we could come back," said Jason. "But that week, I spent many sleepless nights trying to figure out this riddle that Rita had thrown on us. Only by luck, and the sheer grace of God, did we win."

"_Indeed, only when the Sword of Darkness was destroyed did the Rangers finally slip out of danger,_" said Brian Kenny.

"Even when Zordon and Alpha, as well as the Megazord, were brought back, our victory was not secure," said Zack. "We still had to beat the Dragonzord, and then we had to destroy the Sword of Darkness. And I swear, Jase had the luckiest shot ever on that sword."

"Zordon told us after that battle that we had all the odds stacked against us," said Billy, "and I'd wager he's right. You couldn't find anyone on the team, save for Jason, that seriously thought we had a chance after the Megazord was eclipsed. Only luck saved us that week. But then, you have to have some luck to be able to be successful."

(Picture of Rita's forces celebrating victory is seen as tape ends)

"_Well, there you have the top 5 reasons you can't blame Rita for using the Green Dragon Coin when she did,_" said Brian Kenny. _"While some Rangers may question why she 'went for broke' when she did, it was clear that she felt that using the coin in the correct way could bring her victory. And, it almost did. I'm Brian Kenny...thanks for watching."_

(Music plays as the show comes to a close)

End

A/N 2: Next Episode: Why You Can't Blame Jason for not retrieving the Green Candle in time


End file.
